NCES CCD 2024-25 21 schools MN

Best-Resourced Schools in Elk River, MN

Compiled from official source data by .

21 public K-12 schools in Elk River from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

PlainSchools home → About this data
21
Schools
6,831
Students
32.6/100
Avg Resource Index
20.9:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Lean reported-resource profile

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Elk River has more public-school enrollment than 68% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Elk River's average Resource Investment Index falls in the lower portion of the 4,487-city comparison set. The index is a resource snapshot, not an academic grade: it reflects the federal staffing, counselor, gifted-program, and attendance fields available for local campuses. The most useful next step is to open the individual schools below and identify which component is pulling each score down, because the same city average can hide very different campus-level constraints.

A full K–12 ladder sits inside the city boundary

Elk River's list includes 6 elementary, 6 middle, and 6 high-school campuses, plus 3 combined-grade records. The city average spans every major grade stage, so the ranked table is more informative when read within level than as one interchangeable queue.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 45-point gap between Ivan Sand Middle School Alc and Vandenberge Middle School shows the range hidden by Elk River's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 32%
School count
Top 14%
Resource Index average
18th percentile
Teacher staffing
12th percentile

Elk River Senior High accounts for 22.9% of all Elk River public-school enrollment

That concentration means Elk River-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade level: High. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how districts allocate programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Elk River school enrollment varies 1562× across entities

Elk River school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 1,562 students (highest), a spread of 1,561 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Elk River student-teacher ratio is 20.9:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

4 of Elk River's 21 listed schools are charters

19% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Ivan Sand Middle School Alc 63
2. Online728 High School 62
3. C.O.M.P.a.S.S. 55
4. Ivan Sand Community High School 43
5. Spectrum High School 36
6. Spectrum Middle School - Grade 6 34
7. Online728 Middle School 34
8. Spectrum Middle School - Grades 7-8 31
9. Isd 728 Focus/Journey 28
10. Twin Lakes Elementary 27
11. Meadowvale Elementary 27
12. Parker Elementary 27
13. Handke Center- Ec Special Education 27
14. Salk Middle School 23
15. Three Rivers Montessori School 23
16. Online728 Elementary School 22
17. Elk River Senior High 21
18. Lincoln Elementary 19
19. Vandenberge Middle School 18
20. Fairview Program -
21. Ivan Sand After School Credit Recov -

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Elk River

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Ivan Sand Community High School 64.8/100
  2. 2 Lincoln Elementary 56.4/100
  3. 3 Salk Middle School 48.5/100
  4. 4 C.O.M.P.a.S.S. 41.3/100
  5. 5 Vandenberge Middle School 38.4/100

What do families ask about schools in Elk River?

Which Elk River school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Ivan Sand Middle School Alc has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Elk River schools in this federal-data comparison at 63/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Elk River, MN? ▼

Elk River has 21 public schools with a total enrollment of 6,831 students. 4 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 20.9:1.

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Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Minnesota →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.